Changed
by PplusAforever
Summary: Percy and Thalia are married. A new Prophecy is on the horizon. This is a somewhat dark story. It is a rewrite of my previous story of the same name


Changed, a Percy Jackson Adventure.

A/N Only note you'll find. I did a rewrite of this story and improved it in some areas. It is a bit darker, but not completely without hope. I am uploading everything in one huge chapter.

"Dude, this is perfect!" Leo said to me. "Percy, sometimes you are a genius."

I nodded.

"Of course I am. Is the statue ready?"

"Oh, yeah. It has the perfect face and everything."

I was ready to put my plan into action.

My name is Percy Jackson by the way. Yes, _the_ Percy Jackson, savior of Olympus. Today, I was going to propose to my girlfriend in a pretty interesting way.

2 hours later

"So, Thalia."

"Yes?" she looked at me with those shocking eyes. Along with the dark eyeliner, she _always_ looked a bit evil.

We were down at the beach and I was nervous hoping my plan worked. The only ones who knew about it were Leo, who made the statue, and Nico, who I needed to shadow travel me.

"I wanted to know," the whole camp was there, leaning forward, expectantly. I asked Leo to make something up to get them there. I kneeled down on one knee. "Will you marry me?"

Her eyes widened as large as the moon, her eyes scanning the ring, making sure this wasn't a dream. As she analyzed the possibilities, a smile came to her face.

"Yes, Percy!"

Thalia threw her arms around me, then backed up. She held up the ring and gazed at it. Now my plan started. A package flew from the sky, it exploded out, and Medusa's "head" rolled out.

"Hey, guys, look it's a gorgon's head," I said picking it up, turning it over to look at the face.

"Percy, no!" Thalia cried out, as I dropped the head, and Nico shadow traveled me away, and replaced me with the statue. We stood a hundred yards away, and Nico laughed

"This is a plan worthy of Athena! Annabeth would have loved it!"

That hit me hard in the gut. _Annabeth_. Nico sobered.

"Oh, Styx, man! I'm sorry, man, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, teleport me back," I told him, waving my hand, dismissively.

"I'm serious, man, I didn't mean to day that about Annabeth, I just-"

I sighed.

"Nico, I'm serious, too! I know you didn't mean anything, it's fine. Really."

I got ready, and Nico enveloped me in darkness and I shot up through the statue, bursting it to pieces.

"Oh, my gods, Percy!" Thalia bent down. "How the Hades did you un-stone yourself?" Her eyes searched me over frantically to make sure I wasn't hurt.

I started laughing, making everyone stare at me quizzically.

"Oh, man, I got you so good!"

Thalia stood back, waiting a moment for that to process. Then, her eyes grew large, and her nostrils flared. The smile faded slowly from my face.

"Perseus. Andrew. Jackson. You are in so much trouble for-

I cut her off with a kiss. She kissed back, and I leaned back with a smirk.

"Am I in trouble now?"

Suddenly, I was in the air, my body sizzling with electricity.

"Not anymore." Thalia was smirking now.

I got up and started a war.

The next day was interesting.

"Okay. Listen, Thalia. I am _not_ telling your father. Zeus will knock the shit out of me."

Thalia glared at me.

"Percy, get a grip. I thought you protected Olympus. Also, you were kidnapped for quite awhile. Actually, kidnapped multiple times. _And_ you fought Kronos and a whole bunch of other titans."

I looked away.

"Yeah, but I'm marrying you."

Thalia reared back and slapped me.

"Thalia! Styx! That hurts!

"Good, that's the point."

I shuffled along, Thalia by my side. Silence.

"Hopefully, the gods have some ice for my electrocuted cheek."

Thalia glared at me again. I tried a lopsided grin to calm her. She wasn't having it.

"What's wrong with marrying me?"

"Nothing's wrong with it. I'm just saying that your dad is Zeus, Lord of the Skies. Maybe you've heard of him? See, he doesn't exactly like me, since I'm the son of his brother.

"Well, jeez, Percy. You don't have to be so sarcastic. It's been worse since Annabeth-"

She stopped herself and glanced at me.

"Gods, I'm sorry, Percy. That was low."

"No, I'm sorry for acting that way."

I tried to act like it was okay, but I was still hurting. I was sure Thalia could see through my disguise. We arrived at Olympus and I stared up at the doors.

"Thalia, I don't want to"

"Percy, you're telling my dad."

"Perseus, is telling me what?" a demanding voice asked.

I turned around gulping like a deer in headlights.

I stuttered, trying to get the words from my mouth.

"Well, oh, Styx. Lord Zeus, you see, that your daughter is kinda, sorta... Um.. Engaged?" I said the last part as a question, giving a scared smile to the king god of the skies.

"What does this have to do with you, Perseus?"

I paced around like a meercat, nearing the edge of the room a bit every time. I gave a loud whistle and then responded.

"Oh, you know..."

The god's glare seemed to drill a hole in me.

"No, I don't know."

"She'sengagedtome!" I blurted.

Zeus widened his eyes in anger.

"YOU DARE TAKE MY DAUGHTER AND-"

"DAD, NO!" Thalia grabbed his arm that held his master bolt." I _love_ him father and you can't stop me; and I could really give a damn that you're the god of skies."

Some nearby nymphs gasped, staring in horror at each other.

"This hero is not worthy of you." Zeus griped.

"Dad, he saved this very spot your standing on and he has friends that would actually do something for him."

"He is insolent!" he hurled the master bolt, sending me through a wall off the side of Olympus. I panicked momentarily, before giving a whistle

"NO!" Thalia cried.

A black streak whooshed past and I landed on the back of a pegasus.

 _Wassup, Boss?_

I patted the animal's neck.

"Hey, Blackjack, how you been?"

He dropped me off at the Throne room.

Thalia looked at Zeus with an expression like; See what I mean?

Zeus scowled.

"Telling my parents should be easier," I told Thalia, as I strode down the street backwards in front of her.

"Hopefully they won't want us to go to marriage counseling every other week," I complained. Thalia appeared equally disgusted.

"Better than Dad blasting you out of the sky, right?" She gave a laugh. I chuckled along with her

We walked up the stairs to the apartment door. Thalia rang the doorbell and we both waited, silently. The door swung open to reveal the bright, smiling face of Sally Jackson Blofis, my wonderful mother. It also opened to smell of warm cookies.

"Percy, Thalia! How are you two doing?"

Thalia also wore a smile now.

"Hello, Mrs. Ja- Sally," she corrected herself. "Percy and I have some big news!"

She smiled, slyly. My mom already knew what was going on, I'm pretty sure. She just had that look she always had when she knows something I don't.

"Please tell."

Thalia nudged Me. I snapped out of my trance.

"Oh yeah, uh, Thalia and I are engaged."

"That's great!" Sally exclaimed, excitement was showing clearly in her eyes. I also sensed a bit of pain.

"Did you tell the gods yet?" She asked, her eyes brimming with amusement.

I groaned.

"Yeah. They want us to take marriage counseling."

My mom couldn't help but laugh.

"I can't wait to tell Paul."

I pouted while she welcomed us inside. We continued to talk for hours (with my mom and Thalia doing the chattering) until Thalia finally let us leave.

On the drive home, I dropped the bomb on Thalia.

"I already bought us a house," I threw it out there nonchalantly, as if it were an everyday thing.

"What?! How did you find the money?" Thalia exploded, staring at him.

"I signed up as a talk show host and since they're firing the old one, they're already sending me the checks, but I'm not due to start until the first week after our wedding."

I expected like a 'Wow' or 'Awesome!' or something nice, but instead was slapped in the face.

"OW! What the Hades!"

"Percy, you kelp head! Using electronics attracts monsters!"

Percy's face was crestfallen.

"Oh yeah… Well, I might be able to get a potion from the Hecate cabin to disable my scent for a couple hours."

"And why are they sending you checks already? You sure this is legitimate?"

I hadn't thought about that.

"Well, yeah. They have a station, we can listen to it now. I guess maybe they're desperate."

My cheeks were burning red. Thalia sighed in exasperation, until she saw the house. It was three stories, creme colored, with a small garden in the front.

"Oh. My. Gods."

They way she looked at me made my heart melt.

I stood at the altar, wedding music beginning. My palms were sweaty, my cheeks were flushed, and I lost the feeling in my legs I'm pretty sure. The elaborate, wooden, handcrafted doors opened, revealing the bride. I could hardly believe Thalia spent money on a dress, much less one that magnificent. It was the traditional, white shade, with a frilly edge around the neck, encrusted with diamonds. The bottom was made of satin with a lace design, also embroidered with tiny diamonds. We had thought about doing a Greek wedding, but ultimately decided that might attract unwanted attention from the Monster world. The dress fit perfectly, showing her form perfectly. I smiled, and after that, time flew by.

One Week Later

"Hello, Mr. Jackson. I had a question. Will choosing a certain woman make me more money if I marry her?"

This was my first real caller. I was nervous, but I felt good about the job.

"Well, you know what they say, one woman can make you a millionaire, but you have to be a billionaire first!"

The man laughed with me.

"Okay, so that's a no. Also, my wife talks sometimes, but I'm not interested in what she says. What should I do?"

"Well, all wives can be annoying, so just act like you're listening. Give a couple of nods and say 'uh-huh'. I'm newly married and my wife is already obnoxious sometimes! Okay, thank you for calling. Switching lines now."

I took another call. I was feeling enthusiastic now.

"Hello, Mr. Jackson?"

"Yes, who may this be?"

"This is your wife."

I sighed. She had been listening.

"Damn."

That night, I got home to careful chiding from Thalia. After apologizing and explain myself, we climbed in bed. That's when my nightmare started.

I was the happiest man in the world. I had just proposed to my girlfriend, Annabeth, and she had accepted. She had been calm about it, with a smile.

Not that I had been expecting her to jump up and down like an Aphrodite girl, squealing, "OHMIGODS! MY BOYFRIEND JUST PROPOSED TO ME! HEY, YOU, DO YOU WANNA SEE THE RING?!"

That would have been embarrassing to both of us. She wasn't that kind of girl. It's part of what I loved about her. I grasped her hand tightly as we walked back towards my apartment.

"I already have a house picked out," I informed her proudly.

She laughed at me. "I would love to see where you get the money for it."

I pouted. "I said I had a house picked out. I never said I could buy it."

She laughed again. The laugh I loved so much. I kissed her cheek and hit the button on the crosswalk and the green walking symbol lit up. We began crossing the street when bullets ripped through the air. Annabeth crumpled down and I fell beside her. The pain was excruciating. I gasped and frantically searched for Annabeth. I had taken wounds to my legs and my left shoulder, while Annabeth's stomach poured blood. I cried out in agony.

"Oh, gods, please, no! Annabeth!" I reached for her, flimsily holding her fingers.

I began inching towards her. I could see her intestines. A black limo revved around the curve. The driver held the gun, still shooting. The last thing I remembered was the steel front license plate hitting the back of his head.

After that, the next dream was short. There was darkness. I felt as though I was falling. A deep voice came on.

"Perseus. Gaea created me in time of need. Now, I have risen above her. I am coming."

My eyes snapped open. I sat up in bed. I resented the way Annabeth had died. We had been through so much together, only for her to be taken out by a few mortal bullets and a car. I screamed, waking Thalia.

"Good gods, Percy!" She rubbed her eyes. My scream turned into a sob. "Percy?"

I leaned against her, clutching the front of her night shirt.

"Annabeth…"

Thalia shut her eyes, sharing in my pain. She held me against her chest, comforting me. I continued sobbing. But I knew my sobs wouldn't bring Annabeth back. She was gone.

"Talk to me Percy. Nightmare? Everything is okay. Her death was hard on us all."

After I calmed down, I told her about the dreams. The second one really bothered her.

"We need to tell Chiron. He might know something about this."

I nodded in agreement and laid my head on my pillow. Thalia lay beside me. I turned on my side to look at her. She was beautiful. I brought my hand up and caressed her face. Every time I saw her, I wished Annabeth could be with me. Don't get me wrong, I still loved Thalia. I simply missed Annabeth. I looked down. Thalia spoke.

"Percy, I know you wish I was Annabeth."

I grimaced.

"That's not it, Thalia. I love you for you. I just wish Annabeth were still alive. I love you, Thalia. I promise. You're not just a backup plan."

She was silent for a moment, then kissed me.

"Goodnight, Percy."

She rolled on her side away from me. I draped my arm over her body. She didn't refuse it, so I left it there and fell asleep.

Christmas time rolled into town, and I had all but forgotten about my dream. Chiron was clearly troubled about it but assured us not to worry. Naturally, I went on my merry way. Although, I wasn't that merry at the moment. I was trying to buy gifts for my family. I had found something for everyone except Thalia. She was difficult to shop for. I picked up a Bath and Body Works Home Spa Kit. Nah, not her style. It did come with a mirror though. I glanced in the mirror and saw the reflection of the store shelf behind me. But, I didn't see myself. _Holy Styx, maybe I became a vampire._ I thought to myself. I peered closer and the mirror darkened.

"What the Hades..."

Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed my neck. The deep raspy voice from six months ago rang clear.

"PERSEUS JACKSON! I am Gaea's revenge!"

I tossed the mirror down, and a figure rose out of the mirror, shrouded in some sort of cloak. It reminded me of Hades but I knew it wasn't him. This guy had a more sinister presence.

"You shall not live to the Summer Solstice, unless you offer me a sacrifice. Your own flesh and blood. An offspring of yours."

I understood the importance of the Solstice to the ancient Greeks and stuff, but I really wished bad guys would quit using them as deadlines. It's kind of exhausting.

Instantly, the man dissolved into a puddle. His voice remained.

"Or I'll take your death now as the answer to my ultimatum."

A massive explosion rocked the store and my world turned black. My last thoughts weren't the normal crap like _I'm too young to die_! Instead, it was: I hope Thalia doesn't kill me after I get back.

Thalia stood over our bed when my eyes opened back up. She grabbed my arm, holding my hand to her face.

"Percy? Thank the gods. What happened? I was worried sick!"

I sat up, relaying the events to her.

"We need to tell Chiron that it's serious this time." Thalia responded. "I think we need to get Camp Half-blood back into fighting shape. We need to get our old friends back together. I groaned.

"You're right. Start with Clarisse?"

Clarisse was your typical daughter of Ares. She never went to high school. Instead, she became a professional boxer. Right now, she was on tour in my hometown, so that's part of the reason I decided to start with her. I strode up to her personal trailer, but a security guard stopped me.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Clarisse is not taking visitors right now. Autographs are after the show."

I laughed. "No, no. She's expecting me. I'm Percy Jackson." I gave my signature grin.

The officer grunted. "I'll check."

He went inside and shut the door, leaving me nervously tapping his feet. ADHD sucks. The door reopened, revealing a tall, muscular woman, with draping red hair.

"Jackson. Long time, no see," she grabbed me by the scruff of his shirt. "We've got a score to settle."

I gulped as she drug me into her trailer.

"I never properly thanked you," she said.

I paused.

"Huh?"

Clarisse shrugged. "Yeah. After I grew up a little bit more, I realized that the only way I'm gonna get anywhere in life is by being just a little bit more polite... and boxing. Gotta do Ares proud somehow. So, haven't seen you in a few years. What you doin' here? Is Annabeth doing well?"

I stared at the floor, shuffled my feet, then licked my lips before answering.

"Annabeth's, uh, gone." I started to tear up. "Damn," my voice broke. "Really has been a while"

I explained the situation and her face turned grim, then a little bit of a smile.

"So, we sort of get to be senior camp counselors again? I've missed that place. Count me in. I'll see ya after the match tonight. Oh, and just because I'm not an asshole anymore doesn't mean I can't still pulverize you in Capture the Flag."

"You only wish."

Hey guys, Thalia here. I haven't ever really told my story like this before, but, uh. I'll do my best

I creeped down the alleyway, silently sneaking up underneath a patio to an apartment. But I needed to get to the top floor, three stories up. The idiots weren't answering the doorbell I'd been ringing. I vaulted onto a trash bin, then jumped up to reach the first floor's rails. I hauled herself onto the porch, proceeding to climb my way to the top, waiting for a moment, making sure I hadn't attracted any attention. Suddenly, the screen door slid open, and a pair of hands pushed my chest, and I toppled over the edge. Before I fell, hands clamped onto my ankles.

"Dude, Travis! Our security system worked! We caught the burglar!"

I was pulled up and put face to face with the Stolls.

"Who are you and why have you been stealing our... Hey... Wait a minute... Thalia?!"Connor broke into a wide grin.

Both the Stolls faces had a young, boyish, pranking look to them.

"Man! I haven't seen you in forever. Heard you married Percy? How's he doin'?"

"We're both great, but that's not why I'm here." I was kind of peeved. "Why the Hades were you not answering your door?"

Connor grinned. "Well I think somebody's been stealing our vegetables. Sometimes we wake up in the morning and they're just gone."

I glared. "So, you thought the thief would ring your doorbell and try to break into your house?"

"Uh, well…"

I relayed the story and they said yes, without any hesitation. So, yeah, that's what happened to me that night. I'm just going to turn this back over to Percy. And Percy, don't ask me to fill in unless its important to the story. Please?

That night we all met in the camp meeting room with Chiron. Chiron paced, nervously, something he rarely does.

"We still need more professionals." He said "More of the group that was with you during your teenage years."

Connor looked at his brother, his mouth agape.

"Dude! He called us professionals!"

The two high-fived. It was amazing how they had matured over the years and were able to hold jobs, yet they still acted in their childish ways. Thalia and I couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Chiron," Thalia spoke. "Percy and I can find the others."

Chiron put his arm on her shoulder.

"Thank you, my dear, but they do not live here in our city, or any nearby surrounding ones. The journey would be too long."

"So?! We've been on longer ones as kids!" Thalia exclaimed.

"Yes, Thalia, I know. But you and Percy are ready to start a family. Stay and train the new campers. I can send satyrs to find them. Can you explain this to her, Percy?"

I glanced around at the faces watching him. "Well, I, uh, we don't have a family yet, and we're not expecting, but if you really insist we stay…well I trust you any day."

Thalia moved around and stared at the floor. That was odd behavior. Chiron seemed to raise an eyebrow at her.

"Oh my gods, Connor! Percy just freestyled. I haven't heard rhymes like that in a while!" Travis and Connor laughed at their own joke, while Clarisse chimed in on the conversation.

"Chiron. Percy's the best fighter we've got, but I can teach his class for him while he's gone."

Chiron sighed, "Fine, my children. You may go. You leave in the morning. Annabeth's brother lives in Florida, by the way, and perhaps some of the others are at Camp Jupiter."

I nodded. Thalia seemed satisfied now. We adjourned the meeting at left. I turned and walked toward my old cabin, then stopped, realizing that Thalia was not with me.

"Where you going?"

"My cabin."

I threw my hands up. "Zeus barely gave me permission to marry you. Do you honestly think he'll let me _sleep_ in his cabin?"

Thalia thought for a second. "Good point."

Rachel came to see us the next day, before we left. It wasn't just a friendly visit. It was more of an urgent _'If You Don't Listen to Me Then You're Going to End Up Making a Mistake and Die.'_

"Percy! Oh, gods, I'm so glad I caught you. I had a dream last night, with a small-ish prophecy-" Rachel was abruptly cut off, and her body jerked, violently, like a ragdoll being tossed around by its owner. Green smoke billowed forth from around her feet.

 _"You will find the ones you seek and, at the future, a glimpse you'll peek. When you are lost, and are not free, a light at the end of the tunnel you shall see."_

Unlike other prophecy endings, Rachel did not collapse; instead, she rose higher, the green smoke turning red. The voice changed from her normal, dream-like, Oracle voice to a man's voice. It was the voice from my dreams.

"You cannot trust prophecies, Perseus," each voice was spoken with contempt, dripping with hate. I shuddered. "How can you trust a prophecy when you cannot even trust the ones you love? Your friends will be destroyed long before you reach them This time, your little resistance won't work."

Rachel's body fell twenty feet. I jumped into action, managing to snag her, so she didn't injure herself. I set her down on the grass and Thalia bent over her, checking for a pulse. What the Hades did he mean that I couldn't trust my friends?

"It didn't kill her," Thalia spoke, relieved. "Percy, was that the voice from your dreams?"

I nodded and called for a medic. We waited just long enough to see her into good hands. We left in haste. There was no time to waste. Huh, guess I am doing a bit of freestyle.

TWO DAYS LATER

"My gods, Percy! This can't be happening!" Thalia leaned over and wretched out onto the grass.

I held her close, trying to comfort her. I was trying to hold her hair back, but I was also trying to avoid her vomit. It was pretty nasty.

"It happened, so... Who am I kidding? I got nothing. Who cares anyway?"

"Percy," Thalia's tone was smooth and even, trying not to yell. "I cannot be carrying a baby when I have to save the freakin' world! I AM PREGNANT. Gods, what was I thinking. I shouldn't have come. I knew it."

She emphasized the end. "Can you process that? And we have, like, another day left till we reach Camp Jupiter."

I sighed, stood up, and looked around, still not understanding women. Then something struck me. I felt a weird feeling of dread

"Wait, you knew you were pregnant?"

Thalia bit her tongue.

"Styx, I'm sorry, Percy. It was supposed to be a surprise."

I looked at her blankly.

"A surprise? What the Hades, Thalia? You just were going to surprise in nine months? What, are you afraid it's not mine?"

I let lose a string of curses. Thalia was completely taken aback.

"P- Percy…"

I stood back, calming down. Where the Hades did that come from? What's wrong with me?

"Oh, Styx, Thalia, I-I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. That was wrong. Styx!"

Thalia was hurt. "A…a surprise for Christmas, Percy. It was part of your gift…"

I sat down on the cold, snow laden grass.

"Gods, Annabeth, what's wrong with me?" I asked

Thalia sniffled. I looked at her, realizing what I said.

"Oh, gods. No, Thalia."

I reached for her. She didn't pull away but she didn't move towards me. I pulled myself closer.

"I love you, Thalia," I kissed her forehead.

"I…" she sighed. "I don't know anymore, Percy…"

That stung. But I deserved it.

"You're clearly not over Annabeth. You know what, Percy? Jason's death hurt me. It hurt Piper, and I'm damn sure it hurt you, too. But do you see me wallowing around every _fucking_ day? It seems that everything just reminds you of her. Am I not good enough? You've told me I'm not a back up plan, but I sure as Hades feel like it. Do you know how hard it was for me to leave the Hunters? Would Annabeth want you acting like this?"

I was silent for a moment. My anger welled back up in me.

"Gods, Thalia, you don't understand, do you? I loved Annabeth. I loved her in every sense of the word. I was vulnerable around her, she knew everything about me. I could trust her not to use my secrets against me. If I was having a bad day, she might tease me some, but she knew when to lay off. The day I lost her, I didn't just lose a piece of my heart. I lost a piece of my soul; I can't just forget her."

I didn't know where this was coming from, but I knew I meant every word. Thalia stared me down, tears in her eyes.

"That's what I'm here for Percy. I'm not asking you to forget her. I want to help you remember her for every good thing that she was." I'm not a new part, Percy. I'm trying to be the glue that will hold you together for a little while longer. Until you can see her again."

We sat together in the grass for a while longer. Right when I was going to hug her, Thalia leaned over and vomited again. This time, all over me. She wiped her mouth and looked at me pathetically and sorrowful.

"I'm sorry, Percy, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay. I definitely deserved that."

I cupped her face in my hands and placed a kiss on her lips. I pulled back and tried to look at her sweetly. She could see I didn't enjoy it.

"I taste bad?" She began to smirk.

"Yeah, you kind of taste bad"

She broke into a full-on grin.

"That's what you get, Kelp Head. Now, don't make me cry ever again. You know I work extremely hard at not being an emotional woman"

She smiled as I helped her up. Even as we continued our way, I knew that this conversation would take a while for either of us to get over

Hellhounds, demons, a minotaur, evil minor gods, and Hades himself. Just a few things you might see on a demigod's trip. Thalia and I eventually reached Camp Jupiter, even after running in with all those mentioned above (and then some). I'd tell you about the encounters, but it was nothing memorable. In fact, Hades only showed up to pay me the 5 drachmas he owed me (a long story for another day). The underground tunnel entrance wasn't being guarded as usual, so I knew something was up. Inside the camp, I could hear Reyna and someone else arguing

"Listen, I have replaced Octavian and I sacrifice for real. Not like his stupid stuffed bears. The gods are saying that we have to reunite with the Greeks. We must be friends with them."

"Julius, the Greeks are not our enemies, but we have neither the time, nor money to go now. We have issues of our own to deal with first."

The kid named Julius stomped off and I snuck behind Reyna and spoke.

"Do you have time to at least speak?"

The startled Praetor wheeled around, drawing her weapon. Her eyes widened with recognition.

"Percy! What in Pluto's name… What brings you here? Have you brought Annabeth?"

Reyna had always viewed her as an equal. Intellectually, as a leader, and on the battlefield.

I stiffened. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Thalia do the same.

"She isn't here anymore."

Reyna got the message from our demeanor. Thalia massaged my left shoulder. It was unexpected and comforting. I flashed her a thankful smile. She returned it.

"Hi, Reyna, I think we may have met once before. I'm Thalia, Percy's wife."

Reyna nodded approval.

"I see. Well, it is a pleasure to, perhaps, meet you again. Has your Oracle received any sort of prophecy?

"As a matter of fact," I said. "I got a message. Straight from the source of evil itself. The Oracle backed me up, hinting that we should come for the Roman Legion's assistance."

Reyna nodded, grimly. She twisted her hair between her fingers. She sighed

"I never doubted Julius' words, I just didn't _want_ to believe them. Our gold has been mysteriously disappearing. Along with weapons from the armory. No one has seen how it is happening. Those who do are… unrecognizable."

I thought for a moment.

"How about we catch this culprit and you send some of your army back with us to help train young demigods?"

Reyna smiled and shook my hand.

"Deal."

The plan was set. I would stay up all night and catch the culprit stealing the gold. It wasn't very thought out, but I was just about the only one who could do it. I wasn't going to risk Thalia being disfigured. Especially not with a child on the way. I sat and waited. A chill covered the air. The darkness and the solitude seemed almost a comfort. At about midnight, a rustling could be heard. I glanced to his left to see a figure dart behind a building, dropping objects as he went. I rushed over to pick one up. Gold. I gave a loud whistle. That was, what I like to call, The signal. Soldiers ran forward, along with Thalia. She couldn't keep herself away from the action.

"The gold thief is here," I announced, "I want half of you to go South, the other half West, and Thalia, you're with me."

The groups left. Thalia followed me throughout the winding city streets. Fwwsh! The criminal passed right in front of us. Thalia (being the quicker thinker) picked up the chase, giving a loud yell to show where she was. A split second later, I was hurrying along behind her. A group of soldiers cut off the cloaked man, giving Thalia the time she needed to tackle him, exposing his face to the light of a centurion's lantern.

"All right, she said let's see who- oh my gods… Grover?"

A frail looking satyr, but un-mistakenly Grover, twitched on the ground. His eyes were golden.

"A light at the end of the tunnel you shall see. Destroy the light"

Grover murmured theses lines through a clenched mouth.

"I must destroy the light."

Then, the half-goat passed out.

I sat by Grover's bed, waiting for my best friend to wake up. It had been hours already. I was trying to process it all. Grover had been on his self-declared quest for years. What did he see that made him do this? Finally, the satyr began to stir.

"Percy, I have to warn him!" he yelped in his normal, trembling voice.

Then his voice changed to the deep raspy, voice.

"NO! Destroy the light! Don't let Jackson see the light!"

It sounded as though Grover were fighting another entity for control of his body.

"Grover!" I yelled his name, and his eyes snapped open.

"Percy!" he bleated. "Oh, gods, it's so good to see a familiar face! I feel like I've been gone forever!"

He rubbed his face, orienting himself to the room. He thought very hard. The last thing I remember was helping you get ready to propose to Annabeth. Then after the Iris Message was over..I…I… I don't know…Did she say yes?"

My face turned grim. Thalia was right. Everything pointed me right to Annabeth.

"She's gone, man."

"What?! My gods, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean- so what happened? She's _gone_ , gone?"

I relayed everything up to the current point in time, then quickly changed the subject to his possession.

"Percy, I remember now! it was crazy. I met this spirit, who told me his name was Anastasius. I had never heard of him, in all Greek lore." His voice was scared.

"He said he knew of you and was created by Gaea to bring destruction to the world. Gaea also spoke to me. Apparently, the reason they lost the last war, you know the giants, is because they didn't have a "missing link" to fuel her powers. She thinks that's why she was able to be lulled to sleep. This time, I think it's serious. Anastasius is Greek for-"

"I know. It means Resurrection. Gaea plans on coming back."

Why does everything bad always happen to me? I leaned into my chair, letting my silence speak for itself.

That night, I had another dream. Not one of those feel good ones you might have of you and your best friend getting fat inside of the Candy Land forest and rolling around in ice cream snow, but one of those scary ones like you and your best friend getting a monster fat by ending up in his stomach and rolling around in its digestive juices. The nightmares like I usually have.

"Peeeercccccccyyyy" The voice whispered his name like a ghost.

"You know who I am. Your goat-friend told you"

He was stating facts rather bluntly, so I knew that the titan/god/monster/something was up to...well, something.

"What do you want?" I asked, keeping a cool, even tone.

"Percy, Percy," he clicked his tongue like a scolding father. "I know that you know what I want. The destruction of your world, but more importantly, you. I've already started destroying your soul. Killing your fiancée was the easy part"

The figure stepped out from the shadows, removing his cloak and revealing his face. Anastasius' evil face grinned broadly. It was grotesque. He looked like a mashup between Freddy Krueger and Meryl Streep. In case you're wondering how that looks, just now that it's hideous.

 _Annabeth. Had he killed her?_

Anastasius opened his mouth sucking me into his stomach. "Good Morning, Perseus"

I snapped awake. My body tumbled into the floor of my cabin. I expected Thalia to wake up, but I never saw her face. My clock read 4 am. I stood from my pile of sweat to see an empty bed. Where the Hades was she? I stumbled around my darkened cabin, calling her name to no response. I walked outside.

"Thalia?"

I was worried now. I made my way through the woods, frantically looking for her.

"Thalia!"

In the distance, I saw a figure on the docks. Maybe that was her. I ran. As I drew near, I could see that it was indeed, Thalia.

"Thalia!" I panted.

She quizzically watched me approach.

"Percy, are you okay?

I stopped running and caught my breath.

"Yes, I'm fine. Gods, I was worried sick about you

"I needed some air, I didn't want to wake you"

"It's okay. I just… had a dream."

Thalia held my hand. "What was it, Percy?"

"Anastasius. He can possess people. He spoke to me. He said he was the one who killed Annabeth."

"But, that's not possible. Annabeth died over 5 years ago. He couldn't have been alive then. Why didn't he make himself known at that time?"

"I don't know, maybe its part of his plan."

"Percy, he's evil. You can't trust everything he says."

"He possesses people, Thalia. I've been possessed before. I don't like the feeling."

Thalia hugged me unexpectedly. I returned the embrace. Her hair smelled like strawberries tonight.

"It's okay, Percy. Everything is okay. We'll figure this out. He can't be that tough, right? I mean, his name sounds like a Disney princess."

That got a chuckle out of me. She placed my hand on her stomach.

"But for now, be thinking about what you want to name our child. I was thinking maybe…. Zeus if it's a boy. After his grandfather?"

"Aw, gods, no. Thalia!" I whined. She laughed and pulled me down to the edge of the dock. We dangled our feet in the water as she planted a kiss on my cheek.

"Thalia, I'm sorry for how I've been recently. You're right, you know. I've let Annabeth's death affect everything I do. Every decision I make has been based solely on how her death made me feel. Now, I'm not promising you I won't get upset about her sometimes. I'm just promising that I'm working on it, and I want to be better."

She kissed me again.

"That's all I'm asking, Percy. Your heart is why Annabeth, and myself, fell in love with you in the first place. You're kind. You've always tried to put others before yourself. You'll be a great father."

"You really think so? Think I'll be a good father to our daughter Hera?"

She smacked me playfully.

"Don't you dare try to name our child Hera!"

"Well why not?"

Thalia was about to respond when our conversation was interrupted by a light. Three voices chanted together. Were those the Fates?

 _Thalia Grace Jackson must wear the socks we knit, but they will not put her in a fit. For the Jackson name is held high, however one of them must die!_

The Fates grabbed Thalia and placed socks into her hands. Thalia gasped.

I took them from her and Thalia's eyes widened.

"Oh gods no..."

I was holding a pair of baby's socks.

Thalia and I met with Leo and Piper the next day. Piper told me how sorry she was about Annabeth. I simply hugged her, assuring her it was alright. We made our way back to Camp Half-Blood and told Chiron of our endeavors. He took it all in, without making much of an expression.

"Very well. New schedules for training begin first thing tomorrow. We must be prepared for next year's Solstice."

The months rolled past, training was going well. The bigger Thalia got, the less she could do. Then one day, she collapsed in the middle of class.

"Styx, Percy! My water broke!"

Quickly, I rushed her to the infirmary. 9 hours later, my son, Garret Allen Jackson, was born. I think Thalia always resented that name I picked. Something to do with a country singer or something. I was proud. I began showing him off the very next day.

"Awwwww!" Was the response from every single girl in Camp Half-Blood. Well, all except one. Clarisse.

"Well, Jackson, if he wasn't your spawn, I might think he looked cute, but you never did so..."

Thalia later told me I acted semi-psychopathic. Apparently, I asked everyone if they had seen him yet.

"Hey, have you met Garret, yet? What about you, have you met him?"

Chiron galloped up.

"Chiron! Have you met Garret?" I held Garret out for him to see.

"No, Percy, I have not... but sadly, that is not why I am here. We just got word that your mother had gone missing."

I nearly dropped Garret. "What?!"

Thalia took him from me.

"The mortals believe it was just another kidnapping to force people into sexual slavery, but all the signs I saw point to Anastasius" Chiron reported told the news.

"There's one thing I don't understand," Thalia chimed in, "If Anastasius told Percy in a dream a he is the one who killed, why did he not start killing all of us then? Why wait until now? He didn't even make himself known"

"Thalia, my child, we might never know the answer to that question, but we must face the fact that he is attacking, and that he has Percy's mother. It may be what you ventured. The forces of evil are known to be liars."

I trembled with rage. I closed by eyes, focusing on remaining calm. I clenched my jaw.

"Thalia. I can't lose anyone else."

She looked at me sympathetically. She situated Garret into the crook of her arm and rubbed my shoulder.

"It's okay, it's okay. Here. You have Garret." She delivered the swaddled child into my arms. "Chiron, may I speak to you over here?"

Thalia gestured with her head. As soon as they walked away, Garret began crying. I stared.

"Thalia! What do I do? Why's he upset?!"

"Check the diaper, Kelp Head!"

"It's clean!"

"Then he's hungry! Feed him!"

"My body doesn't produce milk like yours does!"

"With the bottle, Percy! I don't have to breastfeed, you know"

"Oh"

I grabbed the milk formula from our baby bag and shoved the rubber nipple a bit to forcefully into Garret's awaiting mouth. While I fed him, I listened into Thalia's conversation.

"Okay, you know how, according to Percy, Anastasius wants to destroy Percy's spirit? Well, that's what he's been trying to do the last year. Every time we go somewhere, Annabeth popped up in the conversation. Every time we talk to an old friend, they remind him of Annbeth. Sometimes, Percy can barely look at me without thinking of her. I think Anastasius has been causing that. But Percy has too much support. Anastasius underestimated him. Now, he's still going for emotional attacks- he's simply stepping up his game. He's not going to stop with just Percy's mother-vHe's coming for us all."

Chiron pondered.

"Yes, I fear you may be right. Do not tell Perseus though. If he knows, and Anastasius succeeds in capturing all of those people, which he easily could, then Percy might think that all is lost. If it comes to that moment, we want Percy continuing to fight on."

Thalia nodded in agreement. I finished the bottle about that time, but Garret continued to cry.

"Thalia! He finished the bottle, and he's still crying! How do I turn him off?! Help!"

Thalia sighed, "Excuse me, Chiron"

Chiron grinned, "It is fine, Thalia, I would like to see this baby of yours"

The duo came to assist me. I couldn't shake an increasing feeling of dread. Something bad was going to happen soon

"He's drooling everywhere!" I complained.

After I finished showing Garret to Chiron, Thalia and I went to search my mom's apartment. Paul was nowhere to be seen, so I assumed the worst for him as well. I scoured the whole building for clues, finding none.

"Gods, Thalia, where did he take her? He's probably already killed her! Just like he killed

Annabeth."

Thalia sighed, exasperated.

"Don't think like that Percy, think about clues Anastasius might have left in a dream."

I thought about that.

"What if…What if I conjure him into my mind? Try to have a dream about him?

Thalia bit her lip and scrunched her nose.

"That might work. But it might be dangerous. Forcing yourself into a dream might have some sort of unknown consequence. Then again, I've never really studied dreams."

I shut my eyes. I hated to do this, but I was desperate.

 _Anastasius, come here!_

It wasn't very demanding. I didn't know what else to say, though/ Contacting the enemy was not my favorite thing to do. I felt an electric spark; an aroma of burnt rubber filled the swirled, and the demonic creature rose from the middle of it.

"You rang, Jackson?" Anastasius grinned, his yellow teeth adding a more sinister look to his evil appearance.

"Where is she?"

"Now, Perseus, why would I possibly tell you that?"

"Because if you don't, I will beat your a-"

I was cut off with laughter.

"Watch your language, you don't want your son hearing you!'

"What?"

Anastasius twirled his finger, motioning for me to turn around. Thalia was glaring at Anastasius.

"Wait, you can see him?"

"We're not in your mind, Perseus. You told me to come, so here I am!"

Oh gods, what had I done. Seeing him standing in the room helped me size him up. To be an evil genius created by Gaea, he was pretty short. Roughly 8 and a half feet tall, since he was just short of the 9 foot ceiling. His arms were definitely longer, and his legs were huge.

"And I guess while I'm here," Anastasius continued, "I just remembered that I forgot something."

He reached his arm through my chest and snatched Thalia. She dropped Garret. She and Anastasius burst into a wisp of smoke.

"No!"

Profanities slipped through my tongue, cursing and cussing and yelling, and screaming. Garret, although not understanding what was happening, bawled right along with me. I picked up Garret, lay flat on the floor, and lulled him to sleep by letting him listen to my heartbeat that seemed to be going a hundred miles an hour. Only after he fell asleep did I burst into tears.

I returned to camp, only to find more were missing. Piper, Leo, Chiron and who knows how many more from Camp Jupiter. I searched for them day after day, with no luck. Eventually, two years passed and I had given up hope. Garret was the only thing keeping me going on. I was laying on a picnic table when Clarisse showed up.

"Jackson!'

I looked up. "Yeah?"

"What the Hades are you doing still at Camp? You should be searching for your friends and family!"

I clenched my fists and beat the table.

"I already did that, Clarisse. We can't find them! I have to worry about my son, anyway."

I picked up a goblet from the table.

"Strongest you have," I whispered. The glass filled with alcohol. Clarisse smacked the goblet from my hands.

"Becoming a fucking alcoholic is going to help you raise a kid. You were supposed to be better than me, Percy. Better than anybody who had ever existed."

"Well, maybe everybody else hasn't been through the shit I've been through, Clarisse!"

I plucked the goblet off the ground. She grabbed it and chunked it into the distance. I drew my sword from my pocket.

"How dare you!" I snarled, stumbling forward. I smashed to the ground. Clarisse kicked me over.

"What about Echo? You remember her? Loved Narcissus so much that she did everything to protect him, everything to help him, knowing the whole time that he would never love her back. She faded away into a voice. I'm not the smartest ever, Percy, but I understand life. You are repeating history. A great, mighty hero, finally squandered and conquered through nothing but his own free will. His tragic downfall. Only this time, there's no one left to go to the funeral."

She spat on the ground next to me.

"Don't you see? When people read about Percy Jackson, they don't want to read about a sniffling, weak, hopeless piece of shit. They want the heroics, the good heart. They want the man who always does the right thing. They want inspiration. This…this isn't you. Garret is a two-year-old in Camp Half Blood. There's an entire Aphrodite cabin who would pay you thousands of drachma just to hold Garret. He's in good hands. Get off your lazy ass and get the Hades out there!"

I lay on the ground a bit longer, sobering up. _Zeus dammit_. Clarisse was right. I got up and headed to New York City.

"What floor?"

"600th"

"Sir, we don't have that many"

I whispered.

"Sir, Gaea is rising again, and has aided in the kidnapping of numerous people, including my wife. If you want their blood on your hands then don't bother giving me the key card. However, if you want to be a Savior of Olympus, hand it over."

I made it to the top floor, walked down the corridor into the throne room, and stood right in the middle of a godly argument.

"Perseus Jackson! What in Hades possessed you to walk in here uninvited? I should have you killed! You lost my daughter. You've done nothing but slander your own name"

Lightning flashed in the King of the gods' eyes.

"Lord Zeus, I came to you in hopes that you could help me find her. She was not the only one captured either. Aphrodite, Piper was. Hephasteus, Leo was. And Dad, Tyson was as well.

I didn't feel the need to mention his mom or Paul.

"We need to bring these demigods back. That is the only way we can stop this threat."

"What do you ask of us?" Zeus glared.

"Zeus, I need permission for using the skies, if necessary. Hephasteus, I could use an upgrade on my watch shield, and Hermes, since you like to collect things, I figured that you might have a map that shows where demigods are all around the U.S. perhaps. Do you not have some sort of method to find them? There's only rumors of that existing, of course."

Herme's smiled lopsidedly. "Have you ever seen Pirates of Carribbean? It's like that little compass that Jack uses. The map shows the demigod what he desires most."

I merely returned the smile.

"Very well, let it be as you say. Permission for use of my skies is only allowed until you find Thalia."

"Thank you, my Lord. Also, did you ever see your grandson?"

"My what?"

I turned and motioned. Jane Langley from the Aphrodite cabin wheeled in Garret.

"This is Garret Allen Jackson. Yours and Posideon's grandson."

"Omigods! I've never been in here before! Hi mom!" Jane squealed.

Zeus looked at Garret, and then Posideon who was already holding him. Zeus stepped from his throne, holding his arms out to Posideon, asking for Garret. Percy's dad handed him over. Zeus Looked him over.

"He looks like you, but he has Thalia in his eyes. Go, find your friends. We will keep your son safe. All you need is in a backpack in the lobby"

It was amazing how having an heir could calm Zeus.

"Thank you, My lord." I bowed respectfully.

I gave Garret a big kiss on the forehead.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon"

"Will I be able to see Mama?"

Garret asked, his eyes glistening with hope.

"Yes, Garret, I'll bring back Mama. You're with Uncle Z and Uncle P now."

Zeus didn't seem to approve of the nickname, but let Percy leave in peace.

"I wove you Daddy!"

"I love you, too, Garret"

I made it to an abandoned warehouse in 3 days time. This was really going to be hard if this was the place. Half the building was gone, and you could clearly see that there was nothing in the other half. I looked at his map again. This was the place. I looked around. Maybe there was a secret entrance. There were barbed wire fences, and army trucks, so I assumed it was an old army base. I discovered his hunch was right when I took a step forward and heard a click. He froze. That was the sound of a landmine. I heard another sound. A growl. I surveyed his surroundings. 3 hell hounds at 3 0' clock. Now, I'm not exactly sure what that means. I never really understood the use of time in telling a direction. I cursed, then noticed a bunch of rocks. I quickly took off his backpack and stuffed it full. Maybe I could keep the landmine from blowing if the rocks had enough weight. Before I could test my theory, the hellhounds pounced. 300 pounds of dog fur struck my chest, and I flew back. The landmine went off, but it sent a ripple of energy through the ground, instead of an explosion. The sandy ground cave in, revealing an entrance. Unfortunately, all this happened before I hit the ground. I landed hard on my back. The hellhounds however, stayed above ground. They were probably just guards. I got to my feet, drew my sword and made my way to the heart of the base. I made the right call. All my friends were there. They were caged separately, the cages all hanging over vats of Greek fire.

"Percy!" Everyone screamed his name simultaneously. Their clothes were torn and ragged. My mother looked half dead. I surged forward.

"Thank Zeus I found you! Are you okay? Is Anastasius here?"

"Try right behind you," Leo suggested.

I turned. Leo was right. Anastasius floated triumphantly above me.

"Perseus. Look at this! Your entire life is a mess! Your family is captured, they've been beaten and tortured for two years, all you love is about to die! There's no sense in doing anything anymore! I've won. Just a flick of my wrist and all of them die. Instantly."

Anastasius expected me to agree. I didn't.

"Sure, you might destroy everyone I love. Everything I live for. But I'm not going down without a fight. I've been without hope the last few years, but I've held onto my anger. And you've pissed off the wrong guy, you son of a bitch. I'm not the same anymore. I've changed."

With that, I charged.


End file.
